DOLLS_HOUSE|ACT_TWOACT TWO-Christmas Eve has turned into Christmas Day.After the presents and excitement, the symbolic tree has beenstripped and the candles are burned out. For everyone else, thewaiting is over, but for Nora it’s just beginning.In the first act, Torvald called her a squirrel and a bird; nowshe paces like an animal that’s newly aware of its cage. She’strying to convince herself that Krogstad won’t carry out his threat,but nevertheless she checks the mailbox and listens fearfully forvisitors.Anne-Marie, the nursemaid, enters. The short dialogue that followsbetween Nora and Anne-Marie serves three important functions:-1. It tells us that Anne-Marie was Nora’s own nursemaid. Thisunderscores the fact that Nora went straight from her father’s”nursery” to Torvald’s home, without having to grow up.-2. It reveals that Anne-Marie had to give up her own illegitimatedaughter to nurse Nora. Nora knows that she might be in a parallelsituation, forced to give up her children for their own good.-3. It establishes that Anne-Marie will be there to “mother” thechildren even if Nora isn’t.———————————————————————-NOTE: In the conversation between Nora and Anne-Marie, you can seehow Ibsen “loads” his dialogue with additional meanings. Forexample, Nora responds not only to what Anne-Marie says, but to whatshe might be implying about Nora’s current predicament. Where elsein the play have you seen characters in the same discussion talkingabout two completely different things? How could this be related tothe pattern of secrets?———————————————————————-When Kristine Linde arrives, Nora begins to discuss with her Dr.Rank and his “inherited” illness. Nora suggests that his fatal illness(possibly syphilis) is the result of his father’s sexual escapades.Again, Ibsen connects two generations with a moral taint. Later on,the old doctor expresses the idea that sometimes one family membermust suffer for the sins of another.———————————————————————-NOTE: Ibsen wrote his plays before Sigmund Freud advanced histheories about our conscious and subconscious being influenced byour parents and our childhood experiences. But notice in this play howfrequently what the characters do and say is attributed to the factthey have been conditioned physically and morally by past eventsbeyond their control. Ibsen calls this influence heredity, but howwould you characterize it?———————————————————————-Kristine recognizes and reveals to Nora the sexual component ofNora’s relationship with Rank, and connects Rank with Nora’s earlierfantasy about a rich admirer. (The sexual longings for a parent figurealso play a large part in Freud’s teachings.)When Torvald returns home, Kristine goes off to repair Nora’speasant-girl outfit for the costume party. Torvald unwittinglycontinues the heredity theme by reminding Nora that her fatherwasn’t above reproach in the business world.Nora again pleads on Krogstad’s behalf, and Torvald’s replies areeven more revealing. He doesn’t mind that Nora is trying toinfluence him, but he minds very much that it would appear that way toothers. To him, appearance and reputation are everything. He evenadmits that it isn’t Krogstad’s moral failings that bother him. It’sthat Krogstad is an old boyhood friend who has the nerve to call himby his first name in front of everyone at the bank!Even Nora recognizes these as petty concerns. When she says so,Torvald feels threatened and insulted. To prove his “power,” heimmediately sends the letter of dismissal to Krogstad.Then Torvald forgives Nora and assures her that whatever comes,he’ll bear “the whole weight” of it for both of them. Nora thinkshe’ll take the penalty of her forgery upon himself should it berevealed. As Torvald leaves, she’s frantic. She can’t let her crimeruin her husband- she’s got to find an escape! The stage directionshere suggest impending doom: “During the following scene, it beginsgetting dark.”Dr. Rank enters with news of a sad discovery. Nora, in her anxiousstate, is so sure he’s discovered her crime that she’s almost relievedat his real discovery- he doesn’t have long to live. In this scene,Dr. Rank forces Nora along her path to adulthood. He tries to make herconfront two things: his impending death and his love for her. Likea child, she calls him “naughty” for bringing up indelicate subjectsand refuses to discuss them. At this point Nora, like Torvald, isconcerned with appearances. She doesn’t mind that Dr. Rank lovesher, but, as a married woman, she minds very much that he improperlybrings the subject out into the open.———————————————————————-NOTE: Even though Nora’s secrets are beginning to be revealed, shestill refuses to deal with them. She was about to ask Rank for helpand advice when he proclaimed his love. By refusing to deal with hisfeelings for her, and possibly her own for him, she loses both herchance for his help and her cherished fantasy about a secret lover’swill.———————————————————————-Rank unwittingly alarms Nora by the implications of two statementshe makes: “To suffer… for somebody else’s sins… in every singlefamily, in some way or another, this inevitable retribution ofnature goes on.” He adds that people who “go away” are soon forgotten.The doctor is talking about himself and his father’s disease, andhis own approaching death, but Nora is thinking about her own past andher own future. Not wanting Torvald to suffer for her sins, she thinksof suicide as an escape.Nora’s level of awareness about herself, her surroundings, and herrelationships is becoming an issue. When Rank asks her point-blankif she’s known about his love for her, she answers, “Oh, how can Itell what I know or don’t know?… Why did you have to be so clumsy,Dr. Rank! Everything was so good.” Nora is experiencing doubt, anuncomfortable emotion, but necessary as a prelude to self-knowledge.The arrival of Krogstad puts even more pressure on Nora. Krogstad isespecially dangerous because he understands Torvald’s pettiness andNora’s fears. In fact, he’s the first character who’s been able toread Nora’s hidden thoughts. He knows she’s considered running away oreven committing suicide. He explains that he had the same thoughtshimself, when his forgery was discovered. But he knows she doesn’thave the courage to die